The Midnight is a North American band made up of Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Tyler Lyle and Los Angeles-based Danish-born producer, songwriter, and singer Tim McEwan. The band was formed in 2012 after Lyle and McEwan met at a song writing workshop in Hollywood.
Since then, the duo have released six albums (with the seventh hopefully on the way). It's hard to describe what style The Midnight are, exactly. The technical term is 80's inspired 'synth wave', but when I say that to people they look at me like I've just said something in a foreign tongue. Most of the time, I say "It's like the music from Stranger Things." ... "Ohhhh!" They'll reply, as we finally get on the same page.
I found the band in 2018, after a friend sent me a video of their most popular song 'Sunset', and admitted they thought I'd enjoy it. Boy, were they right. As of now, The Midnight are still my favourite artist.
Throughout their discography, they have an eclectic mix of songs. Each album often dictates its own vibe, following a theme or narrative surrounding youth, summer, or even the internet in the 90's. Their album 'Kids' is an example of this, as all songs are set around the life stage of childhood. In this album, there's even a track named 'Saturday mornings' that features old adverts from the 80's - it's like you're a kid all over again, waking up to watch cartoons.
My favourite album of theirs is their 2016 release 'Endless Summer'. With 12 tracks and two bonus tracks, 'Endless Summer' is all about summer love, loss, and heartbreak. This album is also home to my favourite song of theirs (and my favourite song of all time): Vampires.
Words cannot express how much I love that song; but statistics can. It's been my top song on Spotify for 4 years in a row, and I'm pretty sure anyone who knows me will attest that I play Vampires at any waking opportunity I'm given.
Another highlight of theirs was a classical EP entitled 'The Rearview Mirror' released in 2021. In this, the band utilised an orchestra and reimagined their songs in a classical format. This, above anything, shows how creative they are as a collective. New depths can be reached in each of these 5 classical numbers, and you can listen to these songs in such a stunning new light.
As much as they are quite popular, they still feel like a really underrated and undiscovered band. As of February 2022, they have 772,597 monthly listeners on Spotify. This should be a way higher number - The Midnight have been adapting an 80's style aesthetic years before artists like The Weeknd and Dua Lipa jumped on the band wagon.
In the future, I'm sure the band will gain even more popularity and the recognition they deserve. The band will be touring in Europe from late April, and I'll be seeing them live for the second time in May.
